The Indo-Tibetan Border Police has warned of a sudden spike in transgressions by China into Indian territory

NEW DELHI: Several months after the peaceful resolution of the Doklam border stand-off with India, China continues to intrude into the Indian side of the border and has restarted the construction of a disputed road in Arunachal Pradesh. 

In a confidential report submitted to the Home Ministry, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has warned of a sudden spike in transgressions by China into Indian territory.

The ITBP report, accessed by Zee Media exclusively, the paramilitary force warned that the Chinese troops made more than 21 attempts to cross over to the Indian side of the border in past 17 days at several places between Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. 

According to the ITBP reports, Chinese military choppers violated the Indian airspace more than three times, whereas its ground troops intruded 19-km into the Indian territory in the past 17 days.

The first incident of intrusion by the Chinese troops was reported on March 28 in Depsang in Ladakh, while the neighbouring country's army entered up to 19-km in Arunachal Pradesh on March 28-29, the ITBP said in its report. 

The ITBP also warned that Chinese soldiers have once again started building a road in the Doklam region in Arunachal Pradesh despite several objections by India and Bhutan in the recent past.

The latest ITBP report comes several months after India and China agreed to disengage on the Doklam plateau. After a 73-day military standoff, the two countries decided to move back their troops from the face-off site at the tri-junction with Bhutan.

In its report to the Home Ministry, the ITBP had last year too warned that as many as 31 incidents of Chinese transgressions took place in primarily three sectors - Depsang Area, Trig Height and Thakung Post (Pangong Lake). 

The fresh warning from the ITBP has raised an alarm as the Doklam stand-off had forced the government to put “special focus” on the eastern border. 

The government then armed the ITBP with the country’s primary communication satellite to track activities along the Himalayan border, as part of efforts to enhance security after the Doklam standoff with China last year.

The paramilitary force was since tasked to supervise feeds from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) geostationary communication satellite, GSAT-6, that keeps an eye on the entire country.

The crisis began in June after India sent soldiers to stop growing Chinese military activity in the remote and uninhabited territory overlooking a narrow passage connecting the country with its northeastern states. 

Beijing accused New Delhi of trespass and preventing its soldiers from building a road in the region.

The 70-day standoff ended in August but the tension simmered as ITBP troopers and Chinese soldiers had a punch-up and threw stones at each other in Ladakh soon after.

The two Asian giants had fought a bitter war in 1962.